New Plans, New Year

I am so looking forward to 2009, since 2008 has ended with many trials. I'm still getting stuck in my driveway, every morning and every night, there's still about 2 feet of snow on the ground and 6 feet on the side of the driveway and cul de sac, and my Geology class was cancelled due to a record breaking winter in the Cascades. And so in 2009, I begin my journey into the design portion of my degree.

I've replaced the Geology class with a freshman level Engineering Technology class that meets twice a week, y continuo Espanol tambien. Geology, which is actually the only class I need for my Associates transfer degree, will have to wait until Spring. Instead, I will be playing with CAD and CATIA, and getting a pre-req for my minor at WWU out of the way. It's all good.

My kids are coming home from their dad's tonight, and we plan to bring in the New Year with some Rock Band, Mario Kart and some poker lessons. I remember playing for pennies with my Godparents when I was much younger than my youngest, so we've dug the poker set out of the closet (along with some bottle rockets :) and plan to play some rounds into the New Year.

Remember to put some money in your pocket, and good luck to all in 2009!

Christmas Fun

Did Santa bring everyone what they wanted? I know I got a killer pair of Mossy Oak dual mitten/glove waterproof work gloves with 40 below Thinsulate lining - and yes, they're camouflage, so what? We had a great get-together with my stepfamily last night, since they, too live in Arlington, and we could actually barrell through the frozen, lumpy roads. We freally missed my step-sister and her kids, though. Girl, you need to find a 4WD, just kidding.

Today, aside from presents, we picked up my step-son, played Rock Band, and I rolled my sled 3 times, and caught air once, but not on purpose. The coolest thing happened when we were sledding, though.

You know you and your significant other are soulmates when you find you have the same weird obsessions, you know? Like, I'm obsessed with frogs and birds he's obsessed with eagles and lizards. Anyway, we've watched 4 bald eagles soar really low across our back yard today, and one experience I'll never forget. The hubby went down the sled hill and stoped dead at the bottom of the hill. Right then, a bald eagle went right over my head at the top of the hill and landed in the tree right above him. The eagle proceeded to check him out with both eyes, and sat majestically on top of the fir tree trying to figure out what we were doing. He eventually flew off, but it was soooo cool!

Anyway, here's some more snow pictures, but unfortunately none of the eagle. We ended up with 3&1/2 feet total!

The view from the front walkway of our roof.

The Twinkie is buried!

What once was my orchard - the front twig is actually a pear tree!

The icicles off the back roof!

And what was once a cute, little 3&1/2 foot fence is nothing more than a line of lumpy snow between us and the neighbors!

No Need to Dream of a White Christmas

Another 5 inches and more on the way today and tomorrow. Our Christmas Eve plans got postponed due to the current round of snow, and the fact that we don't want to chain up just to get to dinner. We will have to wait a while for presents from the hubby's family (my family gives love - we know it's all good!), but at least we (and the Escape) will be safe. My mother-in-law was sweet enough to hold another dinner for us next weekend, so hopefully the warming trend that is supposed to start on Friday will hold out all next week.

Right now, we are trying to get the ATV started so we can do donuts and drag the innertube in the snow. The new neighbors have a snowmobile - I will totally have to check that out, too! I LOVE motor toys!! Sledding is also in the plans, since we have SOOOOOOO much snow, nothing but time, and a kick-ass 35 foot drop in our back yard. Half our Christmas might be cancelled, and we might be snowed in, but it's going to be A LOT of fun! Merry Christmas everyone!

Doin' Alright

Jusst want everyone to know we are okay. We lost power around 11pm right when the blizzard hit. There was only about 5 inches in the storm, but there are drifts in our yard that go up to my waist now.

We went into town today, and saw farms on the prarie where the wind swept the field clear of snow - right up to the roofs of some smaller barns. After shoveling daily for the last 4 days, we decided to chance it and start up the Escape to see if we could just drive over the 5 inches and the drifts in the driveway. We didn't get stuck at all! So then, we were testing the limits of the "Smart 4WD" such as taking sharp corners in the parking lots, skid stopping, you know all the things your parents and insurance agents forbid you to do, but in your 30's you can afford to try. I have to give Ford a lot of credit - the 4WD is very smart!

I haven't been in a blizzard since I was a kid, and had forgotten how the wind constantly howled. Needless to say, between the wind, the 2 feet of snow sliding off the roof, and nothing to drown out the little dog's snoring, I didn't get much sleep last night.

Our pipes and the neighbors' pipes have been frozen since yesterday, and we all just got power. I'm going to have to go into town to shower for the next few days because the temp's not supposed to get above freezing until the day after Christmas. We're supposed to get another 4 inches of snow tonight, and another 3 tomorrow. That will make almost 3 feet in 5 days!

Well it's off to boil more snow so we can flush the toilets. Nothing like mountain living!

Am I in Michigan or Washington?

I have to shout out - snow plow drivers absolutely rock!

So we ended up with 26 inches of snow which is now solid ice. We actually got down to 0 last night and right now it is 8 degrees. I have to brag that the Escape Hybrid got me to work in the worst conditions I've ever driven in - I only slid a few times, but I'm sure that's because I had absolutely no weight in the back of the car, and the snow/ice pack on the road is thick. I don't know how my dad lived in Michigan for so long - this weather is sooooo cold!

The hubby dug us out of the driveway, I kept up with snow removal from the cars and walkways, and then we took the time to construct a mini half-pipe down our sledding hill. I got so much snow in my face, boots, and sled the first few times before the snow was packed down, but then it was smooth (and fast) sailing down the drop. I'm sure you could go really fast today with all the ice, but knowing my luck I'd probably impail myself with a branch or something trying to be a daredevil.

Today we are in the Don't Know Zone for the severe winter storm rolling in. We are not included in the high wind foothill zone, or in the massive snow accumulation zone, but are in an area between both, which they will say nothing about. Now, I've finally realized that the "Convergence Zone" in our county is PNW weatherman speak for "the hell if we know," but come on! You can't tell us anything to expect?! I'll tell you what to do with you Doppler computer model. Jerks!

Oh well, the generator is prepared for whichever part of the disaster Mamma Nature wants to throw our way. Although, if it counts for anything, I'd rather not have 90mph winds come from the East. Uh oh - I see the breeze picking up and blowing the trees the wrong way (Easterly winds are very rare here). I have a feeling we're in for a mess.

The Most I've Seen in 20 Years...Literally

When I was ten, we had a HUGE snow storm in Maryland. I think we ended up with almost 3 feet of snow that year, and despite hating the cold, I had A LOT of fun in it. We're now over 2 feet and it just started coming down in buckets again. The only creature that seems to be enjoying it is Bear Bear the husky. The other dogs are no where to be seen since we put them out, and we are hold up inside with the cats and the heat.

I think we have officially given up on the satellite dish, so movie day it is. Now would be a good time to ground some Pete's Coffee Italian Roast and catch up on movies and Christmas cards. We were going to try and make it into work today, but just watched a Suburban slide across the highway. It was going really slow, too. Then I saw the guy turn around and head back into Darrington. Snow Day! I can't wait until it clears up and I can take pictures of the mountains!

Here's some pictures of last night and some from this morning - remember, we shoveled all day yesterday, and I completely cleared both cars of snow last night. Enjoy:

Last night while cleaning off the vehicles and finally warm and exhausted on my sheep wools.

The two feet we woke up to, and my wasted efforts.

And the poor dog who lost his bottom step.

Snow Update

Snow update - we now have eleven inches. We're supposed to get four more tonight and another two inches tomorrow. Then it's supposed to dip back down into the single digits (it was 8 on Monday night) until it snows again Saturday. Here's some more snow pics:

Inner Nerd

So we've got 8 inches of cold, dry, fluffy snow, but it's the kind that puts 2 inches behind where you've already shoveled. In the words of Eeyore, "Oh bother." I know, I know, my dad will think I'm a baby complaining since he lived in Michigan, my BF would laugh after living in Minnesota, and I survived many blizzards in Maryland, but the fact remains that I HATE winter.

My Bear Bear (husky mix) is half white now (picture Balto rolling in snow), and the fir tree branches are now bending down like cedars from the weight of the snow. I will post pictures later, but right now, I'm toasty warm inside.

One thing the Christmas season has done this year is bring my inner geek out, which KT conveniently pointed out last night at work. Dr. Brian and I were talking about Ataris, NES and Star Wars video games, and about another RPh who claimed he had never played Tetris (this after I pointed out how part of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite reminded me of Tetris music). And then on the home front, I convinced the hubby to go to the hobby shop last week for more tracks for my Lionel train. After we got home, we had to rig our own ground after discovering the original one had been lost somewhere between Maryland, Florida and Washington. For the next trip, there are plans in the works for crosstracks, switches to trigger things, buildings and trees. Such a nerd. The important thing is I finally found a really cool hobby shop in the Everett area.

I guess I should go shovel some more snow, since we have to make it to work tomorrow come snow or avalanche. Thinking warm thoughts…

O bladee, O bladah…Life Goes On. Hey!

Oh thank God – dead week is finally over. Unfortunately, my dead week included both of my final exams, but that frees up my time this week to devote to my final project in Spanish and mailing out vast amounts of presents to my dozens of nieces and nephews across the US and to our dads and step-moms. Anyone seen Four Christmases? At least our families don't live that close together.

The great news is I scored an A in ECON201 and I'm thinking an A- in Español, but I'm crossing my fingers for the 4.0. During my break, I'll be working 40 hours a week in the pharmacy and working on tons of essays. I've got a couple of entrance essays for the Huxley College of the Environment at WWU and a few for some scholarships I'm applying for. This year's Possible Woman scholarships are aimed at working moms changing careers into Environmental Science. I am so applying for that $5,000.

Turkey Day went very well and was oh so yummy. We had a giant bird ala my secret ingredients and method once again. I cooked for our moms, too, but my mom-in-law had to get up way too early the next morning and decided to rest at home. Really, I can't blame her, because her house is in remodel chaos, too. No one should have to get up that early for a retail job (hint, hint you Black Friday monsters).

The hubby and I are going out on Wednesday to finish up the Christmas shopping and to get each other's gifts. I need outdoor work clothes like Lady Carharts for field work, and he needs an extension ladder and a new shotgun. We'll be putting bows on them under the tree, but with a limited budget, we're getting exactly what we need. We're so practical and boring sometimes.

Bueno, necesito para mí a estudiar mi Español ahora. Debo a preparar para mi proyecto. ¡Deses a me suerte!

Tastes (smells?) Like Chicken

You know how some songs or stories can inspire such detailed memories that you can actually remember how it smelled or tasted? I recently ran across an environmental story that triggered such a memory, but I would not call it pleasant. Scientists recently found in a toxin study that when riding behind a flatbed chicken truck (which I cannot find any pictures of), you are exposed to high levels of harmful bacteria, including some that are resistant to antibiotics. I wish I could find a picture of one, but try to imagine a large, full-sized, flatbed trailer full of cages that are stacked about 15-20 high, and inside of each cage is a full sized (and still alive) broiler hen with little room for movement.

First of all, if you've ever been to Delmarva, you already know how the chicken farms smell, and you know that the trucks smell just as bad. I always hated looking into their stupid eyes as you passed the truck on the way to the slaughter house, but oh God, the smell. Now I know we were being pelted with E. coli, Salmonella and who knows what else. So if traveling behind one of these trucks exposes you to such harmful toxins, my question is, what about if you swam in a pool and played in a yard right next to the chicken houses? What kind of pool water did we swallow on auntie's farm? Yuck!

Fighting the System

First of all, I have to get it off my chest - Redskins won! Okay.

I make a living billing insurance claims and fighting the system to help people obtain their medications. That said, I have found it easier and easier every year to "grow a pair" as one pharmacist calls it and put up a fight. And every quarter in school, my understanding of the law grows. The combination of fast coding skills with greater understanding of the law has made my interpretations in Political Science and law classes easier as well.

My stepson was recently a victim of discrimination, intentional or not, by the one person on his school campus that should be his advocate - the school nurse. I met with her in September when she admitted to me she had no experience with diabetes and knew nothing about it. I told her to simply follow the same protocol as last year, and she assured me she would "brush up" on diabetes. Last week, she called my husband's ex and accused us of not feeding him or providing him with medication on a daily basis. This all came about because my step-son had a packed lunch that day and chose to play basketball at lunch time and eat his lunch later (on a day after an away-game when he checked his supplies out of the office). Then she asked her to take time off of work to come in without us and sign an illegal contract regarding his blood sugar testing.

The nurse then told us that his teachers were concerned he was missing too much class for testing, and that he was failing two classes because of it. I challenged that, because he shouldn't be eligible for sports with failing grades, and so she blamed the "misinformation" on my husband's ex. And later that night we found out that she was calling him out of class on both days of the week she's there to ask him questions about diabetes and lecture him about blood sugar, which is a big DON'T in the world of Juvenile Diabetes. Do you see where I'm going with this? To make a reeeeally long story short, my husband adressed our concerns with the batty nurse, the violation of trust by the school, and I adressed every violation of the law that occured. Tag team. Technical verbal bitch slaps. And finally after a long talk of excuses and intentions, got an apology from the Superintendent and a promise it won't happen again.

But the bigger picture is that, Gregg, Mo and others my age, Mark said Bullshit to Mr. Johnston (remember him - Marysville Junior High?), Mr. Johnston started in about respect, and I told him respectfully and in very legal terms that in this case the harsh words were appropriate. Or in other words, suck it. That's right, we did it for the kid, but I got vindication for Mo, myself and others who were disrespected by a certain menapausal teacher, and then given ISS from Johnston so many moons ago -all in one meeting.

We also got a promise we won't have to deal with harassment from the nurse any more, or with the youngest's hearing accomodations either. In fact, everything should run smoothly from now on. Now about the WASL, the "new math" and the new numbers grading system...

Superstar CEOs

Some people like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are so talented they can be classified as superstar athletes. Some singers such as Whitney Houston (pre-crack of course), Celine Dion (hurl) and rock singers such as Steven Tyler and Chris Cornell can be classified as superstar performers. And then there are superstar CEO's such as Lee Iacocca who can take a near bankrupt company and turn it around into a profitable one.

Now here's a note to all the other CEO's out there. Just because you are a CEO doesn't mean you're a superstar. You are just one of thousands of CEO's in America, and you should not be paid superstar wages or superstar bonuses just because you are in charge of a company. Superstar wages and bonuses should come with superstar performance, like Bill Gates, Jack Welch (even though I don't like the guy) or Iacocca. Currently in ECON201 we are covering distribution of income and social programs used to reduce the GINI index (the rate between actual income distribution across the population vs. perfect income distribution across the population). I don't know how my uncle lasted so long in the public sector dealing with some of these programs in our country and others. I'm depressed just reading the chapter.

After watching the ABC News report of the Ford and GM CEO's flying in on private jets as they ask Congress for $25 billion, I come to wonder how these CEO's and others in different industries can be so out of touch with how their lifestyles compare with those of their workers and other average Americans. Is this Right of Luxury mentality instilled in them in business school, or does the job naturally attract self-centered people? I am so happy that Congress has decided to cancel the auto company bail-out vote. I hope this is the first message of many that restructuring the failing companies needs to start with a good look at the top and how much money they are wasting. Now here's another idea for Congress – NO MORE MONEY FOR AIG!

Kangaroo – The Other Red Meat

Australian meat producers may soon be borrowing this ad campaign slogan from the American Pork industry. Today in ECON 201, the Environmental Economics group presented, and included in the presentation was a new campaign by the Australian government to reduce methane emissions. They feel that if Australians would switch from eating beef or sheep to kangaroo meat, Australia's emissions would be significantly reduced. Grazing cattle and sheep are one of the largest emissions of methane in the world, and in most countries, forest land is cleared for grazing land, reducing Oxygen production. I really didn't think this could be true, but sorry Kangaroo Jack, I was able to easily find the real campaign online.

Naturally, I HAD to find out how this would work, so here it is. Apparently, kangaroos produce acetate in the digestion process instead of methane, and naturally graze on the low brush abundant across the Australian plains. No new land would have to be cleared and irrigated for grazing cattle or sheep, and it would only take 175 million kangaroos to replace the current hooved hamburgers. Now, I'm all for reducing pollution, but what's wrong with free range chickens?

Words to Vote By

This is one of my favorite quotes by President Harry S. Truman, and are truly words to vote by:

"Slanders, lies, character assassination - these things are a threat to every single citizen everywhere in this country. When even one American - who has done nothing wrong - is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth - then all Americans are in peril. It is the job of all of us - of every American who loves his country and his freedom - to rise up and put a stop to this terrible business." - President Harry S. Truman

Why I’m Getting Out

Between my regular homework in ECON 201 and Espanol, working 32 hours a week, kids, etc. I have been working on a Healthcare group project for Econ. It is disheartening to see the stone cold facts about our healthcare system, and the stone cold facts about Universal Healthcare. As much as citizens of the UK complain about the wait for specialty care, most Americans on HMO's have to wait just as long for appeals, and the biggest fact of them all – 46 million Americans have NO coverage whatsoever, and the number grows with the rising Unemployment rate. But politicians must be careful as to what kind of Universal Coverage they impose.

I have had professors and colleagues ask me why I won't take the MCAT's or the PCAT's, and here is my answer. The American healthcare system is broken, and I cannot work in the field anymore and watch low income people continue to die. I can't do it anymore. Between my group project, and my discussion board posting this week, here are my facts to back up my feelings.

Country	% GDP Spent on Health-care	Average Annual Government Healthcare Spending	Average Annual Employer Healthcare Spending	Average Annual Citizen Health-care Spending
US	15.30%	$2,884	$1391	$2126
UK	8.30%	$2,371		$352
Canada	10%	$3,839		$1645
Germany	10.70%	$349	$1259	$1806
Japan	8%	$1,927		$431

Total Annual Average Spent per Person	Average Annual Gross Income	Average Annual Disposable Income	% AADI Spent on Healthcare
$6,401	$42028	$31410	6.8%
$2,723	$32602	$24612	1.4%
$5,484	$37872	$22512	7.3%
$3,414	$34895	$24078	7.5%
$2,358	$29882	$25184	1.7%

Working as a pharmacy technician for over 10 years, I have personally seen the demand for brand name drugs increase as marketing by drug companies has increased. I don't think I have bought a pen in the last 10 years, since we receive free pens and paper sporting ads for such drugs as Viagra, Vytorin, Advair, Nexium, Lantus, Celebrex, etc. on a regular basis. Many doctors practice what pharmacists call poly-pharmacy, meaning that the patient is receiving one or more drugs working against eachother, or causing other problems and symptoms. They prescribe them anyway. Why? Patients are demanding them because of an ad on tv or in a magazine, or because drug companies are giving the doctors kickbacks such as free continuing education classes, weekend getaways, ties, tee-shirts, clocks and watches. These sales are good for the drug companies and wholesalers, but are marginally small sales for the pharmacies themselves.

Insurance companies prefer to cover less expensive generic drugs that many times work just as well as "designer drugs" as we like to call them in the pharmacy. Pharmacies also rely on generic sales that they can buy low and mark-up significantly, while still maintaining a low sale price for the patient. The wholesalers make deals for bulk sales from the drug companies, then the pharmacies negotiate contract prices with the wholesalers. The pharmacies also negotiate contract payments with insurance companies based on the average wholesale price of each drug (which McKesson has been accused of falsely inflating), minus a contracted percentage. The more the pharmacy pays for the drug from the wholesaler, the less they make on the sale because of the pre-negotiated contract price from the insurer. The patient pays higher prices for a result they may have achieved from a much less expensive generic drug, but some doctors won't budge on the patient's prescribed drugs.

When American politicians promise to allow re-importation from Canada of drugs, they are taking away a pre-bought supply of drugs from Canadian citizens, creating a shortage of prescriptions in rural, non-border areas of Canada. The drug companies and insurers have a cash cow business in America that more than universal healthcare is going to solve. At least some companies are rethinking their marketing strategies due to politicians investigating just where their profits are being reinvested.

Basic Health Statistics
Sources: CIA.gov/the-World-Factbook and www.npr.org/news/specials/healthcare-profiles

U.S.A. – Population: 303,824,640 (July 2008)
Average Spent on Healthcare per Person per Year: $6,402
Life Expectancy: 78.14 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 6.3 per every 1,000 births
HIV Rate: 0.6% - 18,229,478 citizens

United Kingdom – Population: 60,943,912 (July 2008)
Average Spent on Healthcare per Person per Year: $2,723
Life Expectancy: 78.85 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 4.93 per every 1,000 births
HIV Rate: 0.2% - 1,218,878 citizens

Canada – Population: 33,212,696 (July 2008)
Average Spent on Healthcare per Person per Year: $5,484
Life Expectancy: 81.16 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 5.8 per every 1,000 births
HIV Rate: 0.3% - 996,381 citizens

Germany – Population: 82,369,532 (July 2008)
Average Spent on Healthcare per Person per Year: $3,673
Life Expectancy: 79.1 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 4.03 per every 1,000 births
HIV Rate: 0.1% - 823,695 citizens

Japan – Population: 127,288,416 (July 2008)
Average Spent on Healthcare per Person per Year: $2,358
Life Expectancy: 82 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 2.8 per every 1,000 births
HIV Rate: less than 0.1% - less than 1,000,000 citizens

Textarded

I know this may be a hard concept for those ages 10-25, but sometimes you have to put down your phone and stop texting to do necessary things, like looking where you are going when you are walking. In the last 3 weeks at Everett Community College, I have watched a girl walk into a pole while texting, a guy walk into an opening door while texting, and another girl walk into six different people while trying to walk and text. Even funnier - the look on her face got more and more pissy after each person she walked into, but yet she continued to text. Hence, my new word for the American dictionary – textarded.

I've even watched my 14 year old step-son fall down half a flight of stairs because he couldn't stop texting for the few seconds it takes to walk down the stairs. Unfortunately, he's not on our phone plan, so teasing him is the only tool we have to try and convince him to stop the Darwinian behavior. I mean really kids, it's not the end of the world if you don't text back right away – especially when you're at work. Yeah, you know who you are, put the phone down, be productive.

And for Dog's sake – please watch where you are going when you are walking. If not, prepare to be laughed at, because I think it's funny when people fall and walk into things while distracted. Not hatin', just sayin' – I'm gonna laugh at you.

Fake Science and Exxon

I ran across a federal lawsuit recently that made me perk up to attention. An Inupiat tribe in Kivalina, Alaska is suing 24 oil, electricity and coal companies (yes, BIG oil…Exxon, Chevron,etc.) for $400 million dollars – the cost of moving their village. Yes, that's right, they have to move their village. Why? The permafrost below the town is melting into a mucky mud and 50 years of erosion from melting sea ice has claimed nearly 20 acres.

    What's so special about this lawsuit? It is based on the Big Tobacco lawsuits of the 1990's, claiming that like the tobacco companies, Big Oil sponsored trade associations that were focused on discounting the science behind Global Warming. Remember the testimonies from the 60's – 80's from the tobacco doctors? "Cigarette smoke does not cause cancer. Nicotine is not addictive." Ya right! In fact, the Advancement of Sound Science Coalition is just Phillip Morris' PR firm refocused – yes, the same foundation that said cigarettes are not harmful have been telling you that "climate change" is not man-made or affected by carbon output. In the lawsuit, Exxon is accused of funneling $16 million over 7 years to 42 organizations focused on promoting false information on Global Warming. Now I really feel raped by the pump.

    Life has been so busy lately for me; in fact I can't remember the last morning I slept-in. It's been college during the week, boys' footballs games on Saturdays, and work on Sundays and every weekday I can fit in between my other schedules. I'm so glad my employer is working with me - it takes 30 hours to keep the whole famdamily insured. I had my first meeting with faculty and the director of Western Washington University's Huxley College for the Environment last week. It went really well, I only hope the credit markets open up enough for student lending next year. Yikes!

    Despite the stinky economy, and all the work in my life, one thing is going great! The Redskins are 4 and 1! Ha take that everyone in PNW. Quit ranking on me for donning my maroon and gold. What are the Seahawks – 1 and 3? What now?

The “New Generation” needs to speak up!

The Environmental Defense Fund is asking for our help again. They have begun a campaign to ensure that Global Warming, Alternative Energy and other Environmental issues are included in the presidential debates, and not pushed to the wayside by typical politics. Think about what concerns us most, especially if you are in Generation X or a Millenial. This economy and multi-trillion dollar debt will affect our lives and our retirement, and add to that the possibility of ever-changing weather due to climate change, and we face some major issues as the Baby Boom retires. We need to make sure that our issues are heard, so we have a clear choice of who will lead us into the future.

The current administration has stalled our growth by reducing spending on capital in the science and technology sector, and we need to get it back before the rest of the world catches up or surpasses us. In Europe, they are in the large-trial stages of stem-cell transplants, and in the Scandinavian region, countries have tidal power, geo-thermal power, hydro-electric power, wind and solar power. Feeling a little behind? Well, they are also driving on electricity, CNG, and ever-reducing their dependence on foreign oil. One of the reasons Japan lost WWII was an oil embargo against them. How would you function if the world all of a sudden had a beef against us, and decided not to sell us oil?

Alternative Energy sources are a major part of National Security, and this administration has ignored it. Sign the petition to keep the Environment on the list of issues during the Presidential Debates.

In ECON 201 today, I became more depressed about the state of the US economy. I wish I could put my 401K money under the mattress right now, but I'm going to "ride it out" like the "experts" keep telling me to. This $700 billion bail-out is absurd. Instead of thinking what is "bad or good" for the economy, think of it as "easy or difficult." The bail-out is the "easy" way out, which is not always best in the long run. Think about it – stopping terrorism "over there" instead of dealing with it "over here" seemed like an easy answer, but look at where it got us in the long run. Are we any safer from domestic terrorists than we were 7 years ago?

Bailing-out the banks is an easy way to STABILIZE the market for RIGHT NOW. It does not guarantee the prevention of a slide in the near future. It will only "open up" the credit market, or so they "speculate." It will not prevent a recession – at 6.1% unemployment we are already 1.1% ABOVE the "preferred" unemployment rate, therefore we are already in a recession. The bail-out will create inflation, as it makes the dollar weaker. It will make it harder to buy the essentials, much less pamper ourselves with Starbucks and HBO. And as a Gen-Xer, I can live every day for the rest of my life, knowing that my 5 member family donated $10,000 to corrupt bankers who made horrible decisions, so their credit market could be re-opened. Every day, for the rest of my life – I really hope my kids forgive us if we let this happen. If you haven't written to your Congressmen/women or Senators, do it now.

Think about it, if every "bad" mortgage was re-negotiated at lower interest rates, people could afford their mortgages, the banks would end up getting most of their return on investment, and real-estate would not sit empty as homelessness rises. It is difficult for the banks to sit on their bad debts and wait over the long run for a return on those investments. So they would rather the US taxpayer buy those bad mortgages, re-posses the properties, and hope that someone buys them as they sit, empty, at prices just out of reach of many Americans. How strange would it look to the rest of the world as houses sit empty while "Bushvilles" pop up across the nation?

If you look at the raw basics of this crisis, it is not a difficult decision to let "Lassiez faire," or let the markets be free, in good times and in bad. And if the big boys can't play right, then they need to share the profits with the debt-holders. At least raise the tax rate back to what it was in 1999, and start paying off some of the debt that already exists.

– $ 9,795,674,339,326

Economic Bail-out should spark a letter writing campaign

I wrote to my Representative and Senators today, asking them to postpone a vote on the Economic Bail-out, and debate it on the floors. The last plan they hastily pushed through Congress was the Iraq War and they claimed it would be easy and pay for itself. Remember? Everyone should write one as well, because we have Inflation coming. That was the subject of our first lecture in ECON 201 today. Our country is in economic trouble and we are about to make it worse for the individual worker.

For those of you who are fortunate to know someone still alive from the Greatest Generation, ask them how much a loaf of bread was during the Depression compared to their salaries. We are about to socialize a HUGE debt and bail-out executives who made HUGE mistakes.

We will not even socialize medicine, but it's okay to socialize the banks' debts without socializing their profits. Here's a copy of the letter I sent, please send one of your own:

We already know with the bungled results of the Iraq War that hasty votes by Congress can become large mistakes. Please take the time to ensure that the Executives responsible for these companies are fired, make golden parachute deals illegal, and regulate, regulate regulate!

It is not fair to my generation or my children's that we socialize debt before we socialize medicine and profits. Please do not hastily shove another one of the President's Best Guesses through. Too many Americans will have to pay in inflation and retirement fund sacrifices for too many generations to come. And those executives who come out with millions from all of this don't even pay their fair share of taxes.

When is Congress going to stand up for the majority of workers instead of bailing out the minority of large earners from their poor choices? I thought that's what a Democrat majority was supposed to produce.

Thank you,
Amy Lucas

Wall Street went down, down, down, down

As I am sitting here, the stock market is dipping and dipping. I don't even want to know what my 401K is doing, but hopefully my hypocrisy investments in "Natural Resources" are keeping it afloat. Despite the pain it will inflict on the economy, I am glad the government did not bail out Lehman Brothers, and I hope they tell the auto companies to "Suck it," too. What? The more wealthy citizens will finally feel a pinch like the rest of us?

Don't chide me for the loss of jobs, I realize this is a bad thing, but in the last 12 years, we have let M.B.A. salaries skyrocket past those of doctors, physicists, most lawyers – you get the picture. These C.E.O.'s and C.F.O.'s have been paid hundreds of times, sometimes even thousands of times (as in the case of Wal-Mart), the salaries of their lowest paid workers, and most of these salaries aren't even based on performance. They have been allowed to make bad investments, slash the skilled workforce, slash bonus programs for workers, and run the companies into the ground. But they get their parachute bonuses before leaving the companies, and I'm sure they are immediately put into tax shelters.

They are rewarded with golden parachutes of millions if their company is sold during their time as CEO. So what's the best way to get multi-millions without having to work? Simple, get an MBA, become a CEO, run the company into the ground, break it up and sell it off in pieces, then get your golden parachute. This happened to my husband, after 20 years of loyalty to a grocery chain, we watched his management bonus get smaller and smaller, while workers' wages were frozen, and the executives' were paid more and more. Not long after he left to run his own business, the company publicly announced its financial troubles, and was sold off in pieces. The executives were rewarded quite comfortably, while thousands of workers lost their jobs.

I really wish John Edwards had been able to keep his pants zipped, because this is a major example of the two Americas that John McCain doesn't want to acknowledge. To the autoworkers in Detroit – leave now. Go get a job with Toyota, or another car company willing to listen to the consumer, and act responsibly. I never thought I would buy a Japanese car, but if GM and Ford aren't willing to build the efficient cars we want, then we will go elsewhere. The government needs to recognize that bailing them out is just enabling more poor decisions by out-of-touch CEO's. For those CEO's to say that saving their company from their bad decisions is the only way to save the American economy is nothing but offensive. America has prospered through its past tough times with ingenuity and aided with innovations by Academia.

This de-regulated CEO thinking is dinosaur, get-rich-quick thinking, and it's time that a new generation of workers, who are familiar with the business and skilled in management, begin running the companies. Just because you have an MBA from Harvard doesn't mean you know what's best for a hospital or a grocery chain (or being President for that matter). Let Wall Street reel in its bad decisions, let the market slide to where it should be, and maybe next time investments are made, history will be examined before money is blindly invested.

Update: I went into my funds and heavily diversified yesterday. I moved some money around and hopefully, some positive choices I made will leave me with at least as much retirement as I put in.

Pharmaceuticals for Everyone!

The AP, astounded by its investigation in March of America's drinking water, recently decided to expand its study to more Metropolitan areas. In fact, many cities voluntarily tested their water after the initial statistics came out this past spring. The recent analysis found that over 46 million Americans are exposed to pharmaceuticals through their drinking water, and what's alarming is that some big cities, including New York City, declined to participate.

Seattle – you are safe. Lucky for us in the Northwest, most of our drinking water supply comes from snow melt in the mountains, including my well here at home. However for my brother in Huntsville, Alabama, he might start feeling a bit emotional with all the estrogen in the drinking supply, but it may be countered by the fluoxetine (Prozac) and other mood stabilizers found in Huntsville's water.

While I commend communities for being environmentally conscious by recycling their water, there needs to be a better way to eliminate the pharmaceuticals from the drinking water. While it's not going to affect you in one day, studies have not been done on the effects of constant exposure over time. Drugs metabolize differently and can build up in one's fat cells.

Scientists do not know if the pharmaceuticals are a result of drugs being metabolized by the kidneys and liver and excreted as number ones and twos in the potty, or if it's a result of the public directly disposing of drugs into the wastewater system (aka flushing). As a pharmacy technician, I feel it's probably a bit of both. Pharmacies do need to be more responsible in helping people dispose of drugs properly.

The Washington State Pharmacy Association recommends adding hot water to your unused pharmaceuticals and sealing them in a tight container which should then be thrown in the trash. However, when I do this at work, I always imagine a mangy dog digging through the trash, puncturing the vial and drinking all the old people medicine – ah yes, my guilty conscious at work. It would be interesting to see the volume of pharmaceuticals found in the fish and crustaceans off the coast of America's cities as well. Anyone want some shrimp?

Dear Jesus – gimme a pipeline

Surprise, surprise, I have another problem with Governor Palin. There are many video clips from her Assembly of God church that will be coming out soon, but a few things struck me as just plain wrong, even as a non-religious person. First of all, as mayor of Wasilla, AK, she tried to fire the town librarian after the librarian refused to pull books out of the library. She finally withdrew her recommendation of termination when she realized that half the town was backing the librarian and their First Amendment rights.

Second problem: she attended a Jews for Jesus conference in which the featured speaker said that the destruction of Israel by the Lebanese was "judgment" by God himself because the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as their Messiah. I thought Jesus said, "Do not judge unless you judge yourself." Isn't that God's job?

And third, Sarah Palin called for her church congregation to pray for a gas pipeline in Alaska. What?! Screw world famine, poverty and peace, Jesus – give us a pipeline! Hmmm… I really thought Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Her church is also hosting a joint conference with James Dobson's Focus on the Family to promote the conversion of gays. Doesn't sound like she has the interest of all of the public in mind, but the 17% of the selfish, yes selfish population instead - Evangelicals who have big mouths and fat pockets, and think they have the right to impose their views on the other 80% of the population.

But to get past the religious problems, she outright said she has always been anti-earmark (aka special interest). Here are the facts – this year alone Governor Palin requested $197 million in earmarks (the highest earmarks per capita than any other state!), while Obama requested zero. McCain and Palin's campaign is fueled by lobbyists; they are even in charge of the campaign. Obama has not taken one penny from lobbyists, and yet he has raised mountains of money from citizens like you and I. Before you buy into the Pitbull's rhetoric, check the facts of her record.

On the Obama front, I'm still "Fired up and ready to go," but my question is where are we going and when are we leaving? You're being "swift boated" buddy, and saying things like, "McCain's a great guy, and Palin's a outstanding woman," is not going to get you votes. It's déjà vu all over again, and you're about to go to the wayside. In the words of Bob Marley, "Get up, Stand up. Don't give up the fight."

 

G.O.P. is Out of Touch

Well if you did not know it by now, the Greedy Old Prude convention confirmed it last night. The Republicans are completely out of touch with the common American. Not one of them mentioned the economy, not one of them mentioned alternative energy, and not one of them mentioned health care. What did they mention? Well, aside from hockey (which most Americans can't afford to put their kids in), they bashed Obama for not getting a high paying corporate job after he graduated from Harvard. According to the Republicans, a community organizer is a joke.

Why is it a joke to want to get into your community and help people who are not as fortunate as you? If anything, it makes Barak and Michelle Obama more admirable, because they both could have gotten high paying corporate lawyer jobs out of college. Instead, they decided to live in Chicago and give back to the community, working hard to pay the bills. Now let's talk about what a community organizer does, and why it deserves a lot more respect than what the Republicans think.

According to the official Obama campaign a community organizer is, "the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies. Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed."

What a slap in the face to poor people, those who live paycheck to paycheck, those with little savings, and those who may be comfortable economically, but realize that there are millions who are not. If we go out and register the millions of hard working Americans to vote that aren't already registered, we can show them what the Democratic process means. The PEOPLE choose the leader who can understand what they are going through, who doesn't think it's a joke that people lose their jobs, or can't find work, or can't work because of sickness that they don't have a health care plan to take care of. Unfreaking believable!

I also kept scanning the crowd, and it looked like a sea of rich white people in suits and ties and gowns and pant suits. The crowd certainly was not even half as energized as the Democrats, and I am certain that McCain will not get more viewers of his speech than the Super Bowl or the Olympics. That's right, according to Nielsen ratings, Obama had over 40 million people tune into his acceptance speech last week. That's the highest rating in television this year of any show or event!

I want the Republicans to keep making fun of community helpers, and keep thinking we are worried about controlling the sex lives of our citizens. Keep on keeping on McCain, and hopefully your entire rich people base turns out to vote, so it won't be such an embarrassing landslide in November. Then the Republicans will understand that Roe vs. Wade is done, and it's time to tackle the real problems of America.

And in other national news, please don't think that our area up here in the North Cascades is a crazy shoot 'em up wild west. We have made the national news twice in less than 2 months for shooting deaths, but this last one could have happened anywhere in America. The man that went on the shooting rampage is mentally ill, and is another reason why national healthcare should be in the spotlight. Perhaps it could have been prevented if he could have gotten the mental health care he needed.

Palin? Bad Choice McCain

Do the Republicans think women are stupid? Are they really that sexist to think that when a woman sees another woman's name on a ballot they are going to vote for her? Like we are going to have some epiphany - Ooooh a woman, I should vote for her because I am a woman too. PLEASE!

I will vote for the candidate who is going to protect a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body, because anti-abortion laws are also a loophole that allow insurance companies to deny birth control pills, and other medical procedures essential to women's health (and no, this is not referring to abortion – see my blog below). I will vote for a candidate who believes in science and believes in teaching science. What am I talking about?

Governor Palin openly discusses her beliefs that global warming is not real and is definitely not man-made, and she also believes that Evolution should be banned from schools. Personally, I have had three science teachers that taught Evolution and believed that God had some hand in it. I'll never forget what my AP Biology teacher, Mr. Knowles said, "Who is any man to say they know how God made the Earth, or how infinite one of God's days are," referring to the 7 days in Genesis. If she doesn't listen to scientists, who have had years of schooling and spent decades dedicated to research, is she also going to ignore Generals and Economists like Bush? Ignorance is bliss people.

But I think my biggest problem with her is because I am a mom, and I feel she is being EXTREMELY selfish to leave her infant special-needs son and accept a spot on this ticket. If the child was older, I wouldn't have a problem with it, but this is a baby. Does she honestly think she will be able to spend the time her baby needs with her running for VP and if she should become VP? But alas she is well-off and I'm sure the nannies and nurse maids are awaiting. Why bother raising your kid when you can afford for other people to do it for you, right?

Dreams and Small Wonders

Today is the 45^th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech. Today is also the day that the first black man will accept a nomination from the Democratic Party to run for president. Anyone else feeling proud? I sure am, but I have other things in this presidential race to be proud of.

Obama's pick for VP comes from the home of the Blue hen chicken, the Small Wonder, the first state. Whenever I tell people where I'm from, I always say I'm from Delmarva and I get the weirdest looks (unless I'm back there visiting of course). I'm from the Maryland part of Delmarva near the states' border, but the states on peninsula share each others' joys and sorrows, especially Delaware's. I just visited there almost 2 months ago, and was so happy about how liberal and understanding my home peninsula has become. When people want to argue about school bussing programs, I just think about how successful they have been in reducing racism on Delmarva in the last 30 years. In fact, I distinctly noticed that the sign for the Mason-Dixon Line had been removed near Selbyville when I drove by. And now the first black presidential nominee has picked the long-term Senator from Delaware to be his running mate. How cool is that?

I remember when I was a kid, my mom-mom and pop-pop driving me for hours to some event where we could meet Joe Biden. My mom-mom was so happy to see her Senator in person, and was pretty up-to-date on her politics when it came to her Senator Biden. I only wish she could be here to see him become Vice President. Yes Vice President – face it, Obama's the man! Yes we can!

Quick note - Mo Rocca would like you to know that Biden's middle name is not Bassinette or Raisinette, but Robinette. If you have time, check out his video of the Blue Hen ladies at the DNC convention, and learn a little something about Delaware.

North Cascade Adventures Continued

We ventured off the beaten trail yesterday into a low-summer-flow creekbed for some rockhounding. I still cannot upload the pics I took a couple of weeks ago that are stuck on my phone, but I promise I will get a USB for it soon. In the meantime, enjoy some of these...

Old growth trees, moss, ferns, ignaceous rocks, a running creek and a nurse log made this a peaceful first stop (if only we had remembered the mosquito spray)

Waiting for me to pack the camera and scramble up the rocks...

Hershey the Hiking Companion

Me at our last stop...behind me and to the left was a multi-level little waterfall hidden by thick brush. I tried to get a picture, but this was the best I could do even with a high ISO camera...

More adventures to come. Next weekend the hubby and I are hiking to Vesper Peak for our 7th wedding anniversary. We're hoping to find garnets, but will be happy with the breathtaking views.

Fast, Fun and Green

Looking for a fun green vehicle? Well if you own seven homes like John McCain you may be able to afford the Tesla Roadster. Tesla Motors has a new version of its electric Roadster that can go 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds, has a top speed of 125mph, and hold its charge for 220 miles. It may not be a cross country road trip car, but if you have over $100,000 to spend on a Sunday drive mobile, then this is much better for the environment than a Lotus or Lamborghini.

Okay Ford, where is my electric Shelby Mustang?

Heartbroken

I know this has nothing to do with the environment or politics, but did we just lose the Softball gold to Japan? What the hell? I totally lost my May/Walsh volleyball high yesterday morning upon hearing the news. And yes, I am a sports nut, too.

Okay - here's some political news. According to the Pew Research center 50% of "religious" Americans believe that religion should separate itself from politics compared to 30% just 4 years ago. Things are looking better every day.

My First Green Project

It has been difficult to post lately, as I have been working on a 75^th birthday project for my dad. Since I can't make it across country for the party (sorry), we're being creative with his present. I will keep the contents a secret because he reads this (but he should be packing up and preparing to evacuate for Fay instead of surfing the net). We also took a LONG trip across the state to visit the in-laws in Spokane for a couple of days of sun and swimming. The E WA desert is so blah and makes that drive seem so very long, but we were welcomed home with mountain thunderstorms.

My other project aside from a burned out heating element in my dryer, is replacing my guest bathroom fan before the kids of never-ending-shower-land turn it into a moldy-stink room. I was also trying to come up with a way to lighten up the room. We use CFB's (compact fluorescent bulbs for those non-greenies), and it is inappropriate to put a shower window next to your front door, so the lighting is very dim in there. I really don't want to put a heat lamp/fan in there, so I clicked on an old "wish-list" website for products to put in my future green buildings.

Solatubes have come up with a tube/fan model that fits the specs of that bathroom perfectly! I can't wait for the hubby to come home so I can show him our first green project (although I have a feeling I will be the one on the roof). If this works out well, they have solar powered attic fans that would work well to cool down the room above the garage and the rest of the attic space. Sweet!

Evangelical Sleaze

Not being a religious person, prayer is not a regular part of my day. In fact, most of my religious experiences have occurred outside in nature, but I will say the occasional prayer, in my own way. So if I was religious, and prayed on a regular basis, what would I pray for? Hmmm, maybe world peace, a world effort to save the planet, an end to poverty, famine and drought, a cure for diseases like AIDS and cancer, and so on and so on.

What do our good Evangelical friends at Focus on the Family pray for? Well, they pray for rain, too, but not a cleansing rain to end drought or a hardy rain to grow food. No, screw those who are bad off, those who Jesus would probably make his mission to help. No, why bother praying for good things - they are going to pray for rain on the Democrats and Obama at the convention on the 25th. This is their web video encouraging the "prayer chain."

Do the Republicans know that they LOSE Independent voters like me when they don't condemn these things? There are positions in our state government I would rather see filled by a Republican, but they always want to bring morality into the picture. "Stay out of my private life, and stay on my ballot," that's my motto.

This video is disgusting and "Christians" like this need a reality check.

North Cascades Adventures

There is no better way to appreciate the environment than by getting out there and enjoying it. Despite the shot-happy hunters around here, the hubby and I took advantage of no kids in the house, and drove 17 miles into the mountains on Sunday. Down the road towards Arlington there was a Redneck concert-fest at the river featuring Kelly Pickler, and up the road toward Darrington there was the ultimate hippy-fest (aka Flowmotion), so staying at home was not an option.

Once we got the hell out of Dodge (up Mountain Loop Highway), we pulled off at Forrest Road 49 and hiked it almost 3 miles up. Along the way we only saw one marmot and heard a few birds, but remembering it was bear season, I was regretting not taking a dog or packing a gun. We were looking for a creek to pan for gold, but settled on a spot on the Sauk River just off the trail near Sloan Peak. Once we were at the river bank, we did do some rock scaling to make our way to a tributary creek bed so I could hunt for quartz and rubies.

I found two rocks with garnet stones imbedded, but did much better when we started panning. I found almost fifty very small garnets that were between purple and fire red in color. We only found one small piece of gold in the river, but I found a gold vein in a quartz rock I busted open on our way home in a dry creek off the southwest face of Mount Pugh. On our way back to our car from our spot on the river, we took the North Fork Sauk Falls trails down to the lookout/cliff. I will post pictures of this spectacular waterfall as soon as I can make a Radio Shack trip.

My gut feeling about bears came true when, on our way home, a black bear cub leaped out in front of our car. We slowed down to get a better look, but didn't stop for a picture as Mamma Bear was at the tree line watching our car. I really didn't want to have to explain that kind of a claim to Progressive.

The Environmental gods are looking out for me, as luck has come my way. Western Washington University will be adding Environmental Planning and Policy to their list of Bachelor's Degree's offered out of the University Center at Everett Community College where I go now. I won't have to drive to Bellingham until I'm ready to take my Sustainable Design classes in my last year! You have no idea how happy that makes me, and my hybrid (which is now named Escahpay thanks to Dr. Alix at work).

Go out and enjoy Mamma Nature!

Shooting Hikers Equals New Laws

I wasn't intending to write about local things, unless they are political, of course, but this story really bothers me, and has made national news. A 54 year old woman was shot by a 14 year old hunter on Sauk Mountain on Saturday, the opening of bear season in Washington. It really hits close to home, not only because the mountain is ½ hour away, but because my daughter and her friends just went hiking there last weekend, and I almost went on the same hike with some friends on the day it occurred. It is a very popular wild-flower trail that is infamous for its flower hike. And while there are tragic hunting stories throughout history, this one could have been prevented.

At first the news reported that the teenage hunter was with an adult, but recent developments in the story put him with his 16 year old brother, while grandpa slept in the truck by the trail head. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that 14 year old boys are a little trigger happy, and why this grandfather let his grandsons hunt near a popular hiking trail just perplexes me.

According to the story, the woman, hiking alone (which many locals do) and wearing a blue shirt, bent over to put something in her back pack when the boy mistook her for a bear and shot her in the head. Search and rescue were called in to recover her body which had fallen into steep terrain. According to her husband in Oso (about 10 miles from us), no one has been charged in the shooting.

You might say I'm being a little harsh expecting charges to be filed against the child, but this is point blank neglect and ignorance that lead to manslaughter. That's right, it's manslaughter. I didn't know this before but there are no age limit on teenagers hunting alone(?!) in Washington, and no laws to charge the grandfather with being neglectful. Yes, the boy should be charged, because every intelligent hunter knows that you must confirm your target is an animal BEFORE you fire your rifle, and you just don't shoot into a hiking trail because you see something black. In addition, if a teenager were to hit a person and kill them with their car, they would be charged with manslaughter. Are you telling me a gunshot death is not as serious as a traffic death?!

The Forrest Service and DNR also need to restrict hunting near hiking trails, I will be doing some lobbying myself for law changes. There are plenty of areas for hunting away from the popular trails. In fact, the Skagit Valley Herald interviewed a trail guide who frequently takes bear hunters to the OTHER side of Sauk Mountain, because he knows that many people go hiking in the summer up and down Highway 530 and Mountain Loop Highway. Despite this tragedy, I will continue hiking around here, but probably won't be bringing my black husky/shepard mix named Bear with me anymore.

 

Abortion?! Them is Fightin’ Words!

Okay ladies. Put up your dukes. It's time to do some fightin'. The Republican executive branch, in its last ditch efforts to impose its "morality" on us, have now classified our birth control pills/shots/rings/IUD's and Plan B as a form of abortion. How does that affect you? Well it doesn't - yet.

According to the New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services (the great people that brought HIPAA into health care) has drafted rules that would ban the federal funding of hospitals, clinics and pharmacies that require their staff to dispense these medications. But what scares me the most is the wording in the drafted rules defining abortion as, "any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation." Yes, Biology majors, Zygotes and Blastocysts are apparently human beings right away.

Now I'm not talking Juno, "my baby has fingernails" abortions. I'm talking about our birth control. You know the stuff you take so you can be a responsible parent or non-parent? I have a neighbor that has 6 children in a tiny 4 bedroom house, in which one of the rooms functions as a "schoolhouse." This is what they want from us – tons of kids, and lots of poor people homeschooling a generation of children ignorant to advanced society.

Now you might ask how a simple drafted rule like this can affect you if you go to a private doctor for your birth control. Well, it's about to get expensive. Most states require insurance companies to cover your birth control. Under these new rules, the Federal policy will supercede state policy, and any state that refuses to go along with the new rules will loose its Medicaid funding. What's worse is that it will make hospitals and clinics, including Planned Parenthood hire nurses and doctors who may also want to impose their "morality" on young, poor women who can't afford to pay cash for birth control.

Youth, inexperience and multiple children will only bring about a higher infant mortalilty rate and more homelessness. And to make it worse, the churches encourage in vitro fertilization, or as I call it, human litters (Jon and Bitch, oops, Kate Plus 8), so there are less couples out there willing to adopt than there used to be. Hey with these new funding rules along with Abstinence Only education, we'll finally be number one in the world again – in teenage pregnancy.

Call/write/email your Representatives, because after all, they control the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, and can pull the strings out from under them.

Another One (Less) Catches the Bus

According to Lewis Black's show, blogging is the Root of All Evil, but I'm putting in my two cents anyway. I am a member of the Environmental Defense Fund, and today's email from them contained some stats that will surprise many people. For instance, in May of 2007, a barrel of oil was $75 and in May of 2008 it was at $131. Now that's not news to anyone, but this might be. In 2007, a record number of trips were taken by Americans on our public transportation system – 10.3 billion, and Americans drove 9.6 billion miles less in 2008 than 2007. Now here's what hurts – 46% of the American population has NO access to public transportation, and municipalities all over America have cut back their public transportation by 20% this year because the price of gas is putting too high of a strain on their budgets.

Being a citizen of Snohomish County in Washington, I guess I was oblivious to these stats. We live 25 miles outside the nearest "city" of 20,000 people, and there is bus service all day up and down our highway. The county began switching to green thinking way back when I worked for the Parks Department. Back then they were shifting all county vehicles to recycled motor oil, and looking into a new technology called BioDiesel. Almost fifteen years later, the county runs all of its busses and most other diesel vehicles on BioDiesel that it makes itself. This past spring, I had a representative from the county Works Department come up to our school for our community science night. She made BioDiesel on site!! Now I understand that I am lucky to live in a county with such great insight, but this is really the way municipalities need to go. States need to form their own Energy Plans and stop waiting for the Federal Government to tell us what to do.

After all, we are a Republic of states which means that states are supposed to be governing themselves and relying on the Federal Government for international issues, banking issues and interstate commerce. I know I sound like a Republican, but we have forgotten our local roots. There are many citizens in local communities that get together and garden or clean the highways, but there are no town hall meetings anymore, and city council, county council and school district meetings are vacant until some morality issue pops up like a sex shop zoning or a controversial book in the library. It was only forty years ago when a Democrat stood up and inspired Americans to get involved in their part of our Republic. Remember? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Have we forgotten what this means?

It means you get involved. The next time your utility commissioner goes up for re-election, vote for the person who has a new energy plan. The same old same old will cause us bankruptcy. Call your utility department and ask them about their Alternative Energy plans, or start a citizens drive to encourage them to come up with one. Call your county executive and ask about the future of public transportation in your district. Write to your local paper and encourage others to help your community come up with viable energy plans.

On another note, people have asked me about why Obama is not sweeping the polls. While McCain's new attack ads are comparing Obama to Paris Hilton, McCain is also using his press corps to his advantage. Obama, I'm afraid is making a mistake by only using his press corps to look like a rock star and to defend himself against McCain's attacks. Now I know that the Obama campaign wants to portray him as "above" that kind of campaigning, but get real guys. This is America where many Americans have an attention span of about 8 seconds, and do not go on to research what they have heard.

Obama needs to stand up, use his press corps and start pointing out the very apparent problems in our very broke country. He needs to attack McCain and loosen up a little, or he is going to come off as too arrogant for the regular American to vote for. He came up the Democrat ladder, "fired up and ready to go," but I think someone doused the fire.

The Power of Natural Gas

I haven't really looked into natural gas technology, simply because natural gas is not a renewable resource. In order to get along with Mamma Nature in the future, we need to invest in renewable energy resources such as Geothermal, wind, solar and tidal power. However, at the unveiling of T. Boone Pickens Energy Plan, many friends have asked me about CNG vehicles.

CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas, and currently, Honda, Volkswagen and Mercedes are investing more into this technology than others, but most car companies, including Ford and GM make cars that run on CNG. In fact, Mercedes and Volkswagen have vehicles that can switch between CNG and gasoline. The Mercedes E-class CNG can get 186 miles on its CNG tank and an additional 435 miles from its gasoline tank. The Honda Civic GX comes with a home pump named "Phill" that you can hook up to your natural gas tank at home and refuel your Civic overnight.

CNG burns much cleaner than gasoline, simply because it is a much smaller hydrocarbon. Octane has 8 carbons, while Methane only has 2. CNG refining is more expensive than gasoline, but like BioDiesel, it can come down in price if demand increases, and technology improves. CNG pumps are just as safe as gasoline pumps, which aren't as safe as we think. The gas tanks in the cars are much safer than current gasoline tanks, consisting of fiberglass and shock material, that I could not find any cases where they have ruptured in a crash. To make room for the larger tank, the carmakers have modified the rear suspension to a lighter weight material and flatter chassis. They also have eliminated the need for a spare and jack by making run-flat tires the standard on all CNG models.

Fun fact: Currently UPS currently has 987 CNG trucks in their Texas, Georgia, California and New York fleets. If most fleet vehicles switched to CNG while private family vehicles remained on gasoline, we could stretch our non-renewable fuel resources out for a few more decades, but it is not a permanent fix. We need to take that gained time to come up with an innovative way to get from here to there with renewable energy sources.